


The Secret Behind

by pushhhs



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Beta Charlie Bradbury, Caring John Winchester, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Good Parent John Winchester, M/M, Mary Winchester Lives, Omega Castiel, Omega Castiel/Alpha Dean Winchester, Rotten Smell, Supportive Charlie, Supportive Sam, naomi is nice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-21
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-02-18 01:59:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13090044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pushhhs/pseuds/pushhhs
Summary: Castiel Novak was an Omega with a rotten smell. From young, he hardly had friends, and was shunned even more when he presented with a bad smell.Dean Winchester was an average Alpha who grew up in a loving home and with many friends. But he doesn't think that he deserves it.On the first day of college, the two boys cross paths. Castiel was, of course, reluctant to have any contact with Dean. But Dean constantly tries to talk to him. Castiel doesn't know why, but Dean does.Dean wants to find out why he is the only one who can smell the sweet scent underneath Castiel's rotten stench.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fanfiction :D
> 
> I'll be honest, I have never written anything in my life, and if I wrote, it was usually not good at all. But still, I intend to try. I've been having this idea in my head for a while now, and I've only planned out the large parts of the story. It's pretty vague right now, and as I write I fill in the smaller details that makes up the entire scene that I've created. I will have to first apologize if there are any mistakes and/or continuity errors and loopholes because I'm not that experienced in all these. Also my vocabulary is very limited (should have probably listened more in English class) and my writing style is very amateur-ish. Still, I will try my best to write as best as I can, so thank you for reading!
> 
> Since I've only written like two chapters, the story can be susceptible to change from the summary provided. Please enjoy!

Naomi sways her baby in her arms as she makes her way to the baby cot. Chuck was in the bedroom looking for his camera. It was their first baby, an anticipated addition to the family after their marriage. Naomi puts her son down onto his bed, and looks at him adoringly. Chuck came by to her side and wraps an arm around Naomi’s waist. He smiles, and they lean their heads together. They watch their curious baby drool all over himself and stare at them with blue eyes. He loses interest and starts chewing on his hand instead, smiling and making the most adorable noises. Chuck took the chance to snap a picture, and took one of Naomi too. Naomi laughs, and picks her baby up again. They take a family photo together, and the couple admire their blissful family.

A flash of lightning brightens up the house, and soon the sound of thunder followed. The baby was startled, and started babbling anxiously. Naomi quickly soothed him, and put him back into the cot. She closes the window directly above the cot, fearing that her baby would get wet. Chuck puts his camera down onto the desk and started walking to the other windows in the house, but before he could take another step, the entrance door flew open. Naomi jumped and scrambled to her baby’s side as he started crying again. The scent of Omega fear filled the room, and Chuck immediately felt the urge to protect his mate. He takes a few steps back closer to Naomi, and waits for something to happen.

A woman in a black dress walks in. She looks at Naomi and her baby, before resting her eyes on Chuck. She furrows her eyebrows and glares at Chuck. Naomi picks up her baby and stares at the woman. Who is she? How did she get inside the house? More importantly, she seems to know Chuck. Questions filled her mind quickly, but first she had to get Chuck out the woman’s way, she is dangerous and Naomi knew it. She whispered Chuck’s name with urgency in her voice, but Chuck did not move. Instead, he looks on at the woman in disbelief, and Naomi heard a faint whisper that would have been very hard to catch.

“Amara.”

The woman, Amara, screamed at the mention of the name, her expression growing darker.

“Don’t you DARE say my name! You left me for HER?! And had a BABY with her?! HOW DARE YOU!”

She took a step forward.

“I saved your life, I gave you everything, and you left me for HER! What could she give you? I am the one you should’ve chosen! I could’ve gave you whatever you wanted in this world, for eternity! And yet, yet you betray me, for this,” Amara analyses Naomi from head to toe, “for this lowly peasant!”

She glares at Naomi with murderous intent, and Naomi growled. She was threatened and her baby’s safety was in danger. The scent of Omega fear and anger was mixed into the air. Chuck growled at Amara too, the urge to protect his mate getting stronger, knowing that Naomi was in danger. Amara took a step back in disgust, baring her teeth at Chuck.

“You dare fight me for her? I will end you! You and your family! Everyone you ever loved and ever knew!” Chuck flinched at her threat, but did not change his stance. Amara took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Her expression softened, and she smiled. Then she cackled. Alarms rang in Naomi’s mind, and she reaches out her hand to pull Chuck away from Amara. Amara noticed, and raised her hand, slamming Naomi to the wall with an invisible force.

 _A witch,_ Naomi realised. _A very powerful witch._

Chuck runs to Naomi’s side, checking her and their child for injuries. Amara walks closer to the couple and raises her hand again. A sinister grin spreads across her face.

“I cannot allow you to go without punishments, Chuck. We both know that.”

Chuck looked up and hissed at her, but it only seemed to add to her sudden amusement.

Amara looks at the wailing baby. “I curse your child to present as Omega, and I curse him with a stench so rotten no one can stand it! I curse him to be alone and to suffer for your betrayal!”

Naomi gasps, and tries to wriggle away from the black smoke approaching her precious baby, but it was too late. The smoke travelled into her child’s nose and soon the baby stopped crying, and his body fell limp. Her heart stopped for a second, until she saw his belly moving up and down.

Amara turns her attention back to Chuck, and a cloud of smoke pulls his body closer to her. Chuck is levitated off the ground, and he struggles against the smoke, to no avail. Amara looks into his eyes, and smiles.

“And I curse you, Chuck, to serve me as a slave forever in the realm of Darkness, and you will never be reborn again!”

Naomi screams as a flash of lightning strikes and lit up the entire room unnaturally brightly. Naomi shuts her eyes at the burning light, and when she opened them again, she saw a lifeless Chuck lying on the ground, and Amara gone.

 _No, no no no._ With her baby in one arm, she weakly crawls to the body’s side. She puts two fingers on his neck. _Nothing_. She lifts a finger to his nose. _Nothing_. She touches his body. _Cold_. She cries. She screams. But there was no movement.

_Please, please…_

She begs for a miracle. She begs for God. She begs for Amara. But nothing happened. She hugs her baby close to her chest, and cries into his tiny body. She whimpers, wondering how she could have lost the love of her life and have her baby’s life destroyed in a matter of a few minutes. Lightning struck once again, but there was no roaring thunder to be heard.

All that could be heard was Naomi’s broken sobs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand that was the end! I hope you all enjoyed the story, and please leave comments on what you thought about it and criticisms are always welcome! Thank you very much, and I will try to post the next chapter as soon as possible!
> 
> Also please take note that I'm writing this story based on my version of college and world, so it could sound very foreign to you. Just imagine that it's a whole different world where our rules don't apply/aren't similar.


	2. Castiel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Castiel on his first morning of college.
> 
> 12 April 2018: This chapter has been edited to better suit the story line.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so before we begin, I'd like to explain the school system for this world, and the different ages. It pretty much follows the Singaporean education system (because I'm Singaporean).
> 
> So, in Singapore, preschool (Nursery) is 3-4 years old, and kindergarten is 4-6 years old. Which means primary school (elementary) starts at age 7, for six years. At 13, they enter secondary school which goes on for four years. Lower secondary (middle school) for two years, and upper secondary (high school) for two years. So college starts when they are 17, and depending on which institution they go to (Junior College or Polytechnic), the school years differ from 2 years (JC) to 3 years (Poly). In this world, they are attending the Poly equivalent of college, so they will be studying for three years. After graduating, they can choose to work or go to University.

Castiel awoke to a knock on his door. A muffled voice spoke to him, and he got out of bed. The life outside his window attracted his attention, and he looked out for a while, before sighing. He yawned as he opened his bedroom door, and stepped outside. Naomi turned around and smiled at her tired son. A sour smell started seeping into the room.

“Good morning Ma.” Castiel fumbled to a seat on the dining table. Naomi placed down a plate of eggs and toast, before turning back to the stove. Castiel, half-asleep, looked at Naomi for a while, before digging in. He picked up the cup of coffee on the table that Naomi had prepared for him, and took a sip. He immediately recoiled back. _Yep, too hot._ Naomi saw and smiled a little, too small to notice, and continued packing Castiel’s lunchbox. Of course, Castiel saw it, but continued to eat his breakfast in silence.

How long has it been since Naomi openly showed affection to him? Not just cooking for him, or asking about his day, but actually showing him love. How long since Naomi took him out for a family outing, or even just to go grocery shopping with her? How long since Naomi genuinely smiled at him, not hiding behind the walls that she had built along the years, to hide from the tragedy that happened 17 years ago? Castiel can’t remember. His mother had been distant from the day Castiel had memories. She still fulfilled her duty as a mother, providing him a home, food and water, education. She kept him alive, but that was all. His yearning for her affection went unrequited, and he grew up never knowing what it is like to laugh with his mother about silly TV shows.

He knew that it’s not Naomi’s fault. He knew that she’s struggling too. But as a teenager who grew up not knowing love? He could only find someone to blame. But not Naomi, who always tried her best to give Castiel everything. Not Naomi, who blamed herself for her broken family, for her son’s destroyed life before it even happened, who thinks she will only bring harm upon everyone she loves, and thus kept her distance to protect them. So Castiel could only pin the blame on the one person that was never there. His dad. And it was easy, really. He never knew the man. He heard stories of how sweet he was with Naomi, but the story of that fateful night was the only one he cared about. Deep down, Castiel knew that Chuck was a victim too, that he sacrificed himself to save the lives of him and his mother. Amara, too, was to blame, but she came because of Chuck, didn’t she? And sometimes he blamed himself too, if only he didn’t exis-

Castiel shakes off these negative thoughts. No point in all this now. He looked up at the clock and realised that he’d been spacing out for five minutes now, and Naomi didn’t mention a thing. He sighed again, and continued eating his now-cold breakfast. Just as he finished his last bite of toast, Naomi finally turned around again, with a lunchbox in her hand. Castiel politely took it and put it in his bag. _Is this how mothers and children interact with each other?_ Again, he submitted to his fate, and picked up his bag. He would rather just leave the house than look into Naomi’s sad eyes, constantly reminding him of how she’s berating herself inside, and that he can’t do anything about it. He’s useless. He slid his arms into the slings of the bag, and hugged Naomi. He kissed her on the cheek, and as usual, told her that he loves her. She, as usual, only gave him a quick smile. Castiel smiled back, and left.

\---

Castiel walked through the school campus, heading to his class. Everyone who passed by him would double take, and some would cover their nose before he even got close. He could hear some girls whispering about him, and he rolled his eyes. _I know I stink, shut up._ He thought he would have gotten used to it after so long, but guess not. After being avoided a few times while trying to ask for directions, he finally found a teacher who is tolerant of him long enough to point him in the right direction, and finally found the classroom with a few other students already occupying it as he walked in. It was still early, so he took the window seat at the back of the class and sat down. Plugging in his earphones, he laid his head on the table, trying to block out the sounds. A few voices still got through his earphones (of course, since he wasn’t playing any music), and he could feel people staring at him, but he paid them no heed. He closed his eyes and waited for time to pass.

He must have fallen asleep, because he was back in his house, on the day he first presented and went into his first heat. He still remembers. The burning sensation throughout his body, the longing to be touched. He had felt something sticky in his pants. He shut his eyes, not wanting to think about what it was. To his surprise, Naomi had already prepared the necessary items for him. It was like she knew. But he didn’t have time to think, because his body was adjusting himself to the new sensation, one that will accompany him throughout the rest of his life. His pheromones started to fill the room, and his eyes started to tear up. There was no sweet scent that normal Omegas have. Instead, the whole room smelled rancid, and he almost vomited. What was wrong with him? He looked up to see Naomi’s sad eyes. _No, don’t look at me like that._ He didn’t want the confirmation. _I’m only dreaming. This can’t be my scent._ But the longer he stared at Naomi, the more he knew how real this was. Soon, he started crying. Shouting. Putting all his confusion, pain and anger into deafening screams. Naomi knocked on Castiel’s bedroom door after a while, when he stopped shouting, and came into the room, her eyes and cheeks wet. Castiel’s hair was damp, sweat trickling down his cheeks, or were they tears? He didn’t know. All he knew was that he was tired, his throat hoarse, and very dehydrated. The pain had died down, and he laid there breathless on his bed. Naomi let him drink water through a straw, stroking his hair while Castiel looked at her despairingly.

“Get some rest,” she had said, before leaving the room.

Castiel laid there blankly, but he knew that it wasn’t over. A burning heat starts rising in his stomach, and he closes his eyes, letting the darkness consume him, as he waited for the next wave of suffering.

When his first heat ended three days later, Naomi sat him down on the couch. She held his hands and took a deep breath to compose herself. She started explaining to Castiel about the curse, about what happened the night he turned three months old. She took a little over an hour to finish her story, pausing in between to regain herself from her crying. At first, Castiel was enraged. He stood up, and swiped everything on the coffee table to the ground. He kicked the sofa, he punched the wall, and he screamed. Naomi silently sobbed, watching him unleash his anger on any inanimate object he could find. Then, he calmed down. And he fell to his knees. And he cried. He felt something warm around his body, but was too devastated to even realise. Thinking about it now, Castiel believed that that was the only time Naomi ever truly acted like a mother who loved her child. Maybe he should be grateful of that day instead.

\---

“Alright, class. We will be starting soon.”

Castiel woke up to a man’s loud voice. He took out his earphones and lifted his head. The class was filled with students now, and some were looking at him. He looked around him, and noticed how all the students had moved the nearby tables and chairs away from him. There was such a huge space in the classroom, an adult elephant could have fit in it. Castiel softly shrugged, nothing he had never seen before.

The skinny young man at the front of the room turned to the whiteboard and wrote down ‘Garth’. He introduced himself as the English and Literature teacher, and also their homeroom teacher. He spent the next ten minutes talking about his dream to become a dentist, which never happened, and shared a few stories about his wife Bess to the class. Castiel liked the guy, he was funny but also nice. Mr Garth then pulled out a pile of papers from his bag, and clicked his pen.

“Alright! I’ll be taking attendance now, and when I call your name, you’ll have to introduce yourself to the class and share one thing about yourself.”

He started calling names, and the first few kids refused to cooperate, but he had his way of charming them into sharing. This continued for a bit, until the classroom door opened. A boy dressed in flannel and a leather jacket walked in, looking around the class sheepishly. The first thing Castiel noticed about this new boy was… his apple green eyes. _Pretty_ , he thought.

“So,” Mr Garth flipped through the attendance sheet. “Dean Winchester. How nice to see you this morning!” The remark was obviously sarcastic, and the boy named Dean laughed.

“Yeah, sir, uh,” Dean looked at the whiteboard. “Mr Garth. Got caught up in a little something. At least I’m here now.”

Mr Garth gave him a nod and quickly gestured him to sit down. There was only one empty table left… and it was right next to Castiel. Dean looked towards his classmates, confused, and stared at the empty table for a bit, seemingly worried for whatever booby trap was set there, scaring his classmates so much that they wouldn’t even dare be near it. He pouted a little, before finally making his way to the table (Mr Garth might have pushed him a little). He warily sat down, bending his knees ever so slowly, shutting his eyes a little. Castiel kind of wanted to laugh, but that would be rude, so he kept it in. When Dean’s butt finally touches the chair, he waited a few seconds, before peering around to see no flying daggers coming straight at him. Breathing a sigh of relief, he relaxed and started pulling out textbooks. Suddenly, he stopped his movements. Castiel noticed, and glanced to his right. As expected, Dean was sniffing the air. And then he frowned. He looked around and Castiel quickly turned his head back to the whiteboard. _Oh no. He’s going to know._ But why does he care? He doesn’t even know the guy. His reaction doesn’t matter. It doesn’t. But maybe Castiel just wanted to hold on to some hope, that he could make friends with ‘the boy next door’. Castiel exhaled, waiting for a sound. Nothing. No sound of chair legs screeching against the floorboards. He turned his head slowly and sneaked a glance at Dean. He looked confused, but… not disgusted. He was even leaning towards Castiel a little. Castiel instinctively started shifting back towards the window on his left. What’s happening? Dean’s not reacting negatively, he’s even leaning in?!?!?

Castiel cleared his throat, and Dean sprung back to his seat. Castiel slowly moved back into a more comfortable posture, still occasionally glancing at Dean, cautious. He quickly turns his attention back to Mr Garth, trying not to let the little hopeful voice in his head gain volume.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This chapter originally had only 900+ words, and the prologue originally had only 600+. So I'm glad that I was able to spit out some more content, and I hope you all enjoyed it as well! As far as the writing goes, I'm still doubtful about how well I am going to be able to illustrate their emotions and actions, and the plot. My concern is that it might get a little OOC as well... Hopefully this was an okay chapter, because I really tried to change things for the better but my limited imagination failed me.
> 
> Next chapter would be from Dean's POV of the same morning!


	3. Dean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean's POV of the same morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 11/12 April 2018: Hi! If you have read the previous chapter before this date, the chapter has been edited! I've changed some things here and there, so please go back and read it if you haven't already! Thank you!

It was a cool April morning. Birds were chirping and the sound of vehicles driving away to start the day could be heard. The melody of a ringing alarm slowly brought Dean back into consciousness. He blinked droopily for a few seconds, before slamming the alarm clock once again. This was the fifth time his alarm rang. _Shouldn’t have stayed up playing video games,_ he thought. He ruffled his hair in annoyance and picked up his phone. 8:30. _Oh shit!_ He was supposed to be up thirty minutes ago! Dean immediately jumped out of bed and scrambled to the door, stubbing his toe on the dresser in his rush. His face contorted at the pain as he hopped down the stairs. He missed a step down and almost fell, but caught himself at the last second, landing at a slight angle with the railings to balance him. Sam, his brother, saw the accident and started laughing. Dean shot him a glare, but Sam only laughed harder. Still in pain, he grouchily made his way to the dining table, not forgetting to punch Sam in the arm as he passed by. He had a feeling today wasn’t going to be a good day. Sitting down, a plate of bacon and eggs was placed in front of him.

“Thanks, Mom.” He smiled gently at the older woman, and quickly gobbled his food. Mary slapped him on the head and Dean stopped.

“I know you’re going to be late, but if you eat like that you’re going to choke.” Mary lectured, and Dean pouted. He ate at a slower pace this time, but finished his bacon first so he could ask for more. Mary complied, picking up his plate and limping back to the frying pan left on the stove, and grabbed three more strips of bacon to put on Dean’s plate. Dean watched as his mother limped, and his expression fell. His eyes moved to her left arm, and then to her neck, both places covered in scars. Huge, horrifying scars in place of smooth skin, now covered in tattoos. Sam noticed, and nudged Dean with his elbow. Dean turned his head to Sam, smiled, and ruffled his little brother’s hair, much to the annoyance of Sam. Mary returned with Dean’s plate and set it down once again. Dean thanked her and started eating again with enthusiasm, albeit a little forced. Footsteps were heard walking down the stairs, and John came waddling in a few seconds later. He sat at his usual spot, on one end of the dining table, and Mary served him a cup of coffee. She leaned down to give him a kiss on the cheek, and they both smiled lovingly at each other.

Dean was grateful for such a loving family. His parents loved each other, and loved him and his brother. It was more than he could ask for. But did he really deserve it? He took a look once again at the scars that covered Mary’s body. 13 year old wounds, that he doesn’t even know if they have healed yet.

13 years ago, when he was 4 years old, his house had caught on fire. Dean woke up to the smell of smoke, an intense heat, and a woman screaming. _Mom!_ He panicked, and quickly ran into the nursery room. There, he saw his beloved mother on the floor, her leg trapped under a huge wooden beam. Beside her was a crib, where his baby brother, only 6 months old, was crying, screaming his lungs out. But Dean couldn’t hear him. His little brain only saw his mother in pain, and in trouble. He squatted down, and used his tiny little hands to push the pillar off his mother, hoping his strength would conquer the heavy beam, to no avail. His vision started to blur, and he could feel water running down his cheeks. He kept shouting for Mama, still trying to push as hard as his little body allowed. A figure dashed past behind him, and before he knew what happened, wooden planks had fallen onto Sam’s crib, crushing it. Dean went stiff. Sam?

Behind him, he heard his brother’s cries again. He quickly turned around to see John holding Sam. John picked Dean up from the ground and shoved Sam into his arms.

“Take your brother and go!” John cried. But Dean couldn’t. Mary! Dean looked back at Mary again. John grabbed on to Dean’s shoulders, and jerked him back to face him.

“Go!” John shouted. Dean was momentarily stunned. John had never screamed at him before. But he knew how dire the situation was, and in a matter of seconds, his feet were moving on its own and brought him outside to safety, Sam crying in his arms. He had tears welling up in his eyes, but he knew that he should calm his brother down first. He cooed at Sam, rocking him back and forth, while anxiously waiting for his parents to come out of the roaring flames. After what seemed like an eternity, the door finally opened and John came running out with an unconscious Mary in his arms. The firefighters and ambulance had arrived just then. The paramedics quickly put Mary on a stretcher, and loaded her onto the ambulance. Dean followed them, and the family headed to the hospital together.

Mary was alive, and got away with severe burns on her left arm, neck, back, and left leg. Her leg was also crushed by the beam that fell on her, and so she had to walk with a limp for the rest of her life. But she didn’t complain. Instead, she still joked about it.

“It’s better than being dead, right?” Nobody laughed, so she chuckled to herself instead.

That night in the hospital, when Dean was crying next to Mary, traumatized over almost losing her, she gently petted his head and whispered. “Shhh, it’s okay baby. Angels are watching over us.”

It reminded him of what Mary used to say before he went to bed.

“Angels are watching over you.”

Dean would have nightmares after that. He hardly spoke. He would alternate between sleeping with Sam and his parents. He would follow John and Mary around with a pained expression, until John went to work, and Mary had to do house chores. Then he would go and hug Sam in his crib. Dean would have been fine just going along like this for the rest of his life, being quiet, compliant, keeping to himself so he never hurt anyone again, until one night he heard Mary crying in the living room and John comforting her. He heard their discussion about him, about how worried they were, about how guilty they felt. Dean knew that to make his family happy, he can’t be selfish. So the next day, he acted cheerful. Happy, and full of excitement, like a 4 year old should be. Mary and John were surprised, but their questions never received the answers they wanted, so they could only accept their son’s sudden change in attitude. Dean tried hard to be happy, but sometimes when he saw his mother’s scars, he hid in his room and cried into his pillow.

Mary then started to get tattoos to cover up the scars. Roses on her arm, a huge bird on her leg, and she left her neck uncovered.

“Gotta leave one as a memento, right?”

Dean loved them all. It made his mother more beautiful. But the tattoo that Dean loved the most? The angel wings on her back. Angels are watching over him, and the angel’s name is Mary.

“Oh crap, I’m gonna be late!”

Dean was interrupted of his thoughts by Sam’s sudden outburst. He glanced at the clock, and jumped out from his seat. He would be late himself too, if he had to drive Sam to school, then back to his college. That’s fine, but hell if he would let Sam be late. He’s the brain of the family, aspiring for Stanford in the future.

“Come on, Sammy. I’ll drive you to school!”

“But you’ll be la-“

“Shut up and get in the car!”

\---

“Come on… come on!”

Dean tried to start up his car engine for the fifth time. After the first few rounds of disappointment, his car finally decided to start.

“Thank you!” Dean shouted.

Dean hated his car. John had the most beautiful 67’ Chevy Impala, and Dean loved it. But to his dad, he was still an amateur, so he had to drive a stupid Pontiac Acadian around, donated kindly by his uncle Bobby. Donated, to put it nicely, but Dean knew that they wanted to scrap the car anyway so John took it and gave it to Dean. Dean had protested, but John wanted Dean to prove that he can take care of Baby (the Impala). Dean pulled out of the driveway and sped off to Sam’s school.

They reached with about five minutes to spare. Sam muttered a rushed “thanks”, unbuckled his seatbelt hastily, knocked his head on the door, and ran off into the distance. Dean laughed, and shook his head at his brother. He took his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. Well, he’ll be at least fifteen minutes late for school, definitely not a first impression you want to make on the first day. _Oh well, what can you do?_ He shrugged, and started up his car.

Rushing into class, he first saw a skinny man at the front of the class with paper in his hands. He looked around the class with a sheepish grin, before making eye contact with a pair of blue eyes. He broke eye contact quickly, but he was surprised for a second. It was brief, but the boy’s eyes were beautiful. A deep ocean blue, sparkling like gems.

“So, Dean Winchester. How nice to see you this morning!”

The sudden mention of his name caught him off guard, and he swallowed before laughing.

“Yeah, sir, uh, Mr Garth. Got caught up in a little something. At least I’m here now.”

Mr Garth gave him a kind smile and nodded at him, gesturing for him to take a seat. Dean looked around for a second, not ignoring the obvious empty space on the right side of the room. They seemed to be isolating… the blue eyed boy. And the only empty table left was beside the boy. He cautiously made his way across the room, all the while hearing whispering, and many pairs of eyes following his every step. _There must be something wrong with this table._ He finally reached the cursed table, and he pulled out the chair slowly. Stepping in between the gaps, he warily bended his knees, shutting his eyes, afraid of what’s to come. _Is the chair going to collapse on me? Super glue? Damn it I can’t leave now everyone’s looking!_ He finally came in contact with the chair, and slowly relaxes his entire weight onto it. Nothing. He looked around again, his classmates still gossiping, but nothing happened. Dean took a deep breath, calming down. He settled down and started to take out his textbooks, until a weird smell entered his nose. He sniffed again, and his eyes watered. He was about to feel disgusted, until another scent crept up after the impact of the rancid smell. It was sweet, and a little spicy? Dean was confused. Where are these scents coming from? The only person close enough to radiate these scents is…

Dean looked to his left. The blue eyed boy was looking straight front, but he seemed tense. His lips quivered, and Dean could tell that he wasn’t paying attention to whatever Mr Garth was doing up there (he’s taking attendance, surely there’s no need to pay attention to that?). Instinctively, Dean slowly leaned in towards the boy, making sure to look towards the front as well so he wouldn’t seem _as_ creepy. Sure enough, a putrid smell filled his nose quickly, almost making him retreat, but the scent of that sweet scent grew stronger as well. As Dean sat there wondering how this was possible, he heard the boy clear his throat and he quickly jumped back. He didn’t look at the boy again, trying to brush it off and acting like he didn’t just lean in and smelled him like a creep.

People are avoiding the blue eyed boy because of the stench. Sure. But, what’s with the other scent? Can someone even have _two_ scents? It’s unheard of. He sneaked a glance at the boy, who was trembling a little and fixated on the whiteboard, his eyes a little out of focus. Dean couldn’t help but wonder about this mysterious boy who had two contradictory scents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I sincerely apologize for the tremendously long wait, even though I said I would start writing on the 1st of March and update then...
> 
> There is no excuse. I was just procrastinating a lot. 
> 
> However, I did spend the past few days working up new story ideas, and also writing up a plot for this story, so I wouldn't confuse myself when I write, and would have a generic guideline to follow if I'm ever lost in my story. I do hope to continue writing the next chapter tomorrow, and if everything goes well I may be able to post in the next few days.
> 
> I also apologize for any bad writing, it seems that I can only write stories at night to 3AM. (Of course that doesn't excuse bad writing)


	4. Chapter 4

Attendance taking continued. Students shared their hobbies, or their favourite food, normal stuff. Castiel simply mentioned that he liked drawing when he was called, and some boys booed at him. Again, nothing new. Come Dean’s turn, and he went on a passionate rant about his dad’s beautiful car, even standing up and gesturing. Castiel took a glance at him, and saw his eyes filled with love. He couldn’t understand how someone can love a car, but to be honest, does he even know what love is? Castiel smiled a little at Dean, admiring his display of affection, even if it was towards a car. Two minutes of talking and even Mr Garth couldn’t believe how much Dean had shared already and didn’t want to continue listening to how much more he could share, so he quickly interrupted him and politely asked him to sit down, causing the class to break into laughter. Dean sat back down with a red face, and Castiel couldn’t help but chuckle. He admired Dean for his confidence, and how everyone liked him. Was he jealous of Dean? Maybe.

After a while, Mr Garth finished the attendance taking. He then went through subjects and classes, what they should expect, the usual admin stuff, and dismissed the class after reminding them to go for lecture later in the week. Everyone started packing up their bags, some chatting with their newfound friends like they had known each other for years. Castiel was in no hurry, slowly placing his pencil case back into his bag. His eyes darted around the classroom, looking on at the newly formed friendships all around him with envy. He reached for his book to pack it, when suddenly a hand slammed down on it, making him jump back. He looked up to see a pair of eyes, maliciously staring down at him. Beside the scary boy were two Beta kids, possibly his lackeys. The ‘boss’ emitted his Alpha pheromones, and Castiel’s Omega instincts kicked in, leaving him to shiver in fear in his seat. He wanted to run, but he was in the corner.

_Damn it! Why’d I take the window seat…_

The Alpha gave Castiel a malicious grin, licking his lips. “So, Castiel huh? You know, your scent- sorry, _stench,_ is really hurting me and my buddies here.” The two lackeys nodded in unison. “I don’t like it. Here’s a suggestion. Why don’t you stop being a burden, and leave?” The Alpha leaned in a little closer, and Castiel backed into the wall, letting out a small whimper.

“Aww, poor thing is going to cry!”

“Hah! I didn’t know trash could cry!”

The three boys erupted in laughter, and Castiel tried to make himself smaller. _It’s okay, just breathe. It’ll be over soon. It’s just like every other ti-_

“Hey.” A voice spoke up. It was soft, but carried a hint of threat. Castiel flicked his eyes up, still keeping his head low.

Dean had his hand placed on the Alpha boy’s shoulder. Another pressurizing Alpha presence made Castiel recoil again. Are they about to fight?

“What’s your problem, pretty boy?” The Alpha snarled. His lackeys took a step forward, trying to make themselves look threatening, even though Castiel could see their legs shaking.

“Alastair, was it? I would appreciate it if you would leave my _friend_ Cas here alone.” Dean emphasized the word ‘friend’. Castiel, upon hearing this, gained a little more courage to finally raise his head.

The two Alphas glared at each other for a while, neither of them having any intentions to back down. The atmosphere was getting increasingly tense, and the air felt heavy. Castiel found it hard to breathe. Dean’s hand tightened a little on Alastair’s shoulder, and Alastair finally backed down. He threw his hands in the air, signifying his surrender. He turned back to give one last look at Castiel, before grabbing his bag and leaving the classroom, his two lackeys wobbling out behind him. The atmosphere started to get lighter, and Castiel found himself taking deeper breaths to compensate for the lack of oxygen in the past few moments.

“Are you okay?” Dean asked. Castiel met his green eyes, no longer the menacing eyes a few moments ago, but now replaced by a kind expression. Castiel stopped for a second, before nervously replying “Yes” and continued packing his things, his hands now shaking. He could still feel Dean’s presence beside him, but he didn’t dare to look at him again. He couldn’t tell if his pounding heart was because of the tension from before, or because Dean helped him. Wait, was he feeling shy? No, no. He’s just shaken up, and the feeling hasn’t subsided. Definitely. Clearing his table, he fumbled through his bag for no reason, waiting for Dean to leave. Finally, after a while, he could hear Dean moving back to his table. Castiel jumped out from his seat and started to brisk walk out, but stopped right before the door.

_Is it rude to just leave him without saying anything? He did help me…_

Before Castiel could come to a decision, Dean appeared from behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, making him jump. He turned around to see Dean’s awkward smile, and Castiel tried to calm himself down.

“Hey, uh… Dean Winchester.” Dean reached his hand out for a handshake. “How are you doing?”

Castiel looked down at his hand, but showed no signs of accepting his handshake. Dean could only awkwardly pull back, not knowing where to place his rejected hand.

“Thanks for uh, just now. You shouldn’t have.” Castiel muttered, just loud enough for Dean to catch what he said.

Dean immediately grinned. “No problem! He was getting on my nerves anyway.” Another awkward pause. “So do you-“ Dean started.

“I have to go.”

“No, I was just wonderi-“

“Sorry.”

“How about lunc-“

But Castiel had already ran away as fast as he could, leaving Dean behind to wonder what he did wrong.

\---

Castiel ran until his legs almost gave out, making him stop and gasp for air. It’s not that Castiel wasn’t grateful. Dean was the only one who had ever stood up for him. Everyone else considered him a weird kid and hated talking to him. Castiel took in a few more gasps of air, before trying to find a spot to eat lunch. Walking through the campus, he went up the south wing to the second floor, where there was nobody there. It was a small corner, with a glass railing so Castiel could see the activities downstairs. He reached for his lunchbox in his bag and picked up the egg sandwich Naomi made. Now that he had peace, his mind was filled with Dean. No, not that way. His mind constantly repeated the scene of the two Alphas challenging each other. Castiel had never seen that before, so it was reasonable that he’s still afraid. But that wasn’t the main point. The point was that Dean helped him. Voluntarily. Castiel couldn’t thank him enough if he tried. Alastair was terrifying, and he didn’t want to face him alone. But then comes the next part. _Why_ did Dean help him? There was absolutely no reason for him to challenge another potentially dangerous Alpha for someone he didn’t know. And he was strange too. An Omega that stank? He wasn’t worth it. Castiel couldn’t bring himself to trust Dean, no matter how nice he was. He’d met people like that, acting nice, before stabbing him in the back like child’s play. No one could ever treat him positively, not the way he is.

His negative thoughts continued to grow in his mind, and soon he could only think about how much of a failure he was, throwing Dean and the incident aside. The sun shone a small ray onto his knee, as he sat there in the corner alone, chewing on his egg sandwich, looking out the glass railing and observing the other normal kids with their normal friends. He ultimately decided that he had lost his appetite and pulled out his phone to check the time. There was still an hour before the next class, so Castiel set an alarm and drifted off to sleep. He could only hope that the next class wouldn’t end up the same.

\---

“So what you’re saying is, you got dumped.”

“I didn’t ‘get dumped’, Charlie. I barely know the guy.”

“Yeah, the guy you almost fought Alastair for. Who is famous for being a douche, you know right?” The red haired girl sighed and took another bite from her chicken sandwich. A faint sound was coming from her earphones, that were now hanging on her neck. Dean shook his head, and sighed.

“I thought he’d appreciate the gesture. I mean, he said thanks, but then he ran like _I_ was the one threatening him.”

“Maybe he got scared of your ugly face!” Charlie teased.

Dean turned to Charlie and pulled down the corner of his eyes, sticking his tongue out. Charlie laughed and tumbled back a little, before pulling herself up and punching him lightly on the arm. Dean let out a laugh as well. He couldn’t be more glad that Charlie entered the same college as he did. At least he has a close friend to share these stories with, so he wouldn’t hold it in and feel worse.

“Alright, jokes aside.” She let out a final giggle. “You said he smelled bad?”

Dean nodded.

“I knew a kid like that in middle school. Well, I’ve never actually met him though. His name was… Ca.. Chri…”

“Castiel?” Dean offered.

“Yeah! Castiel. He was famous for smelling bad. They called him ‘Rotten Omega’. Apparently when he presented, he stunk up the whole neighbourhood. Not that I would have known about it.”

Dean nodded in understanding. Charlie couldn’t smell. She had gotten into a car accident when she was 12, and her olfactory bulb was damaged. And in a world where people use their sense of smell to detect emotions, she had a hard time adjusting to others. But now, Charlie seemed to be very proficient at reading facial expressions and body language, and she fitted in nicely.

“Wait, he’s an Omega?” Dean widened his eyes a little.

“You didn’t know?” Charlie nonchalantly asked.

“Well, he doesn’t exactly have the stereotypical Omega scent…”

“True.”

“Anyway, I thought first heats usually last a few days. The smell couldn’t have gotten that bad. He didn’t even smell too strong today.” It was true. The stench was there, but it wasn’t strong. Charlie shrugged, indicating that she didn’t know too.

“He also smelled kinda sweet,” Dean didn’t forget to share that detail, “so I don’t understand why people are so fixated on the rotten part.”

Charlie stopped chewing, and raised her eyebrow. She pondered for a moment, and shook her head. “No way. Everyone I know who knows him all say that he was born full stinky. Are you sure it came from him? Like, even Ash passed by him that one time and the only thing he said was ‘I don’t want to meet him ever again’, and he has a great sense of smell.”

Ash was a good friend of theirs since high school, and Dean knew that Ash could probably smell shit from miles away, but there was no way he had mistaken it. The two smells definitely came from Castiel, so he nodded. Charlie raised her eyebrow even higher. She nodded, going ‘hmm’, and stared into the distance. Then, her eyes suddenly widened, and she squealed, almost making Dean drop his lunch.

“Oh my gosh! What if you two are true mates? You know how in stories, true mates are able to see the true beauty underneath? What if you were able to smell his true scent? That is sooo cu-“

Dean quickly cupped Charlie’s mouth and looked around. God, he loves her, but she can be loud sometimes. “Stop. I just met the guy. And aren’t true mates supposed to be immediately attracted to each other? I definitely wasn’t.”

Charlie’s arms were still bouncing up and down and she was making little muffled noises. Dean sighed and put his hand down.

“There are many ways to fall in lo-“

Dean glared at her again, and Charlie pulled her index finger and thumb across her mouth to ‘zip it’. Dean tried to change the subject, not wanting to linger on Castiel anymore, less Charlie continued squealing. He had to protect his ears (and reputation, given Charlie’s volume). The topic soon drifted to video games, but Dean couldn’t keep Castiel from invading his thoughts. After knowing how Castiel was treated by people in the past, he understood why the Omega would find it hard to trust people.

Dean decided that he would try and talk to Castiel again, given the chance. It could be an opportunity to befriend him, and maybe he can also figure out why he is the only one who can smell his sweet scent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm gonna go on an unnecessary fangirl session here, so you can just leave if you don't want my screaming.
> 
> SPOILEERRRSSSSSSS (for season 13 and stuff if you're not there yet)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> OMG CHARLIEEEEE IS BACK YAS MY GURL I started crying even before they took the bag off her head because I knew it was her and I SOBBED UNCONTROLLABLY she does things to me that I never knew and she's still so quirky and cute and I'm just so sad because Dean feels like he failed her and now he's trying to redeem himself BUT CHARLIE'S A BADASS AND SHE'S GONNA RULE 
> 
> Also I know it's late because it's been months since I posted the prologue but tbh Amara ain't that bad (unpopular opinion). Like she's just a sister enjoying her time with her brother until suddenly he decides to love other things and create stuff and neglect her. I feel like she's just afraid that she's losing her only companion so she destroys to get his attention? And then she gets locked away for loving. Then when she comes back she's thrown into this world where she doesn't know anything, trying to look for her brother for vengeance (she's so clueless about humans and stuff in some episodes I honestly found it a little cute lol), and then in the end she still loves her brother and made peace with him and it's just-
> 
> Poor Amara


	5. Chapter 5

Castiel woke up from his slumber, greeted by the ringing of his alarm. He checked the time and realised that it had been ringing for five minutes already. He cancelled the alarm, and sleepily looked out the glass railing. Some girls were laughing out loud, and their voices echoed throughout the building. His eyelids still felt a little heavy, but at least it was the first day, so there won’t be any formal classes. He sat on the floor for a few minutes more, before dragging his body off the ground and picking up his bag. Memories of earlier started rushing in again, and he shook the thoughts away before heading for his next class.

Once again, he was early. And once again, the students were gossiping about him in one corner. This time, he didn’t dare to approach the window seats, less he gets cornered again, so he settled for the back seat against the wall instead. It was close to the back door, so he could make his escape if something happens again. Without having anything to do, he took out his sketchbook instead. He flipped through the detailed sketches of bees and flowers, and the portraits of his mother’s back view, and finally stopped on a blank page. He took a pencil from his pencil case, and started to sketch. Soon, a detailed sketch of a rose was born on the page.

“Woah, that’s amazing!”

Castiel jumped and quickly slammed the book shut. He warily looked up at the unwelcomed presence. He was first greeted with long red hair, and then a wide smile. Castiel could hear a faint sound from the headphones on the girl’s neck. Castiel slowly squirmed away from the girl, and she quickly straightened herself and shook her hands at Castiel.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.” An apologetic smile washed over the Beta’s face. “I just saw you sketching and it was really nice so… uh… Anyways,” she reached out her hand to Castiel. “Charlie Bradbury.”

Castiel stared at her hand, still wary, and looked up at her again. He waited for her to give a reaction. He watched as she breathed through her nose again and again. Nothing. Castiel tilted his head. She didn’t mind his smell? Charlie saw his confusion and thought that he was doubting her intentions.

“I’m sorry, I just really liked your art. I guess I must have intruded on you. Sorry.” She drooped her body a little.

“Oh, no! I mean, yes, you kind of intruded, but you’ve misunderstood. I don’t mind… your interest.” Castiel quickly explained. He didn’t want the nice girl to feel apologetic for expressing interest in his art. If anything, he enjoyed her praise. Charlie’s eyes immediately lit up, and she gave Castiel a huge grin. She looked around herself for a while, and set her sights on a table behind her. She quickly pulled the table and chair next to Castiel and sat down.

“Let’s do this again. Charlie Bradbury.” She held out her hand again.

“Castiel Novak.” He takes her hand this time. Charlie immediately gasps and Castiel was once again surprised and confused.

Seeing Castiel inching back again, she quickly covered her mouth with both hands.

“Oh no! I’m sorry for scaring you again. Damn it Charlie!” She lightly knocked herself on the head with her knuckles. “I’m Dean Winchester’s friend! You know, the guy in your class?”

At the mention of the name, Castiel immediately went red. If Charlie knew who he was, then Dean must have told her about what happened. That means she also knew about his rudeness…

Blood rushes through his face, and his head was pounding. He knew that he shouldn’t have treated Dean the way he did, he should’ve given him a chance, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He’s been betrayed enough, and he can’t just keep pouring his trust on others, hoping that one person would finally be sincere.

“I’m very sorry for being so impolite to Dean.” Castiel fiddled with his fingers, earnestly looking into Charlie’s eyes. Charlie laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it! He’s not that petty. Anyway, I’m sure he deserved it one way or another!” Charlie winked. Castiel smiled and relaxed at her joke, but internally he still felt apologetic to Dean.

The two continued to converse with each other, though it was mostly just Charlie talking about her games and books, and Castiel smiling and nodding away. After a few minutes of one-sided sharing, a middle-aged man in a suit entered the classroom, and clapped his hands to shoo the students back to their seats. Charlie pouted at his abrupt entrance, and Castiel assumed that she was unhappy with him interrupting her. Castiel himself felt a little relieved, actually. The amount of talking from Charlie was making him anxious, since he didn’t know how to react to her, and he had a really hard time trying to keep up. He secretly thanked the God that he never believed in for giving him a chance to take a break. Charlie was very nice, but again, he can’t be sure.

Throughout the lesson, Charlie kept trying to pass notes to him, much to his dismay. The notes were of nothing important, mostly asking him what his favourite book or movie was, whether he liked art, what did he think of Dean… wait.

Castiel, exasperated, merely replied her with a few words, and when he realised that she wouldn’t stop, he decided to just stop passing back the paper altogether. Charlie teared another piece of scrap paper and wrote something again, but the second it touched Castiel’s table he pushed it towards the far end of his table, away from Charlie.

“Do we have a problem here, Ms Bradbury?”

“No, Mr Zachariah.” Charlie blushed in embarrassment for getting caught. Castiel noticed her glancing his way, pouting a little, but she stopped trying to talk to him, and Castiel let out a sigh of relief, but also feeling bad for making Charlie get in trouble. Although, was it really a good idea? Someone finally wanted to be his friend…

 _No. It’s fine. It’s better to be alone than to let someone in your life just to get hurt._ Castiel persuaded, but he knew deep down that he didn’t feel this way. It’s true that he’s lonely, that he craves human interaction from lacking it all these years in school and at home, but he also had to admit that he’s scared. He had no way to tell if anyone is genuine, so he could only put on a defensive stance to protect himself. Still, he was acting a little mean, so he took the piece of paper he pushed away and wrote ‘Sorry :(’, and passed it to Charlie. Charlie’s eyes lit up after reading the message, and gave him a huge grin and a thumbs up to show her forgiveness. Castiel couldn’t help but smile back too.

Castiel checked the time. He ruffled through his bag and took something out, before leaving the classroom and headed for the toilet. Hiding in a cubicle, he took a bottle out of his pocket, and shook out a red pill out onto his palm. He popped it into his mouth and swallowed it dry. It got stuck in his throat for a bit, and it made him cough.

_This should last for another few hours._

He hid the small bottle back into his pocket. Immediately he could tell that the stench was starting to lighten up. Heat suppressants aren’t healthy, he knew, but he had no other choice. He flushed the toilet, washed his hands, and returned to the classroom.

Returning to his seat, Charlie gave him a weird smile, and a little wave, though her hands were shaking a little. Castiel gave her a small nod in return. The rest of the lesson went on without any more distractions from Charlie.

\----

Mr Zachariah finished up the lesson and promptly dismissed everyone. He walked out of the classroom all grumpy looking, but Castiel thinks that’s just how he looks like naturally. Charlie tapped Castiel on the shoulder.

“Do you want to come have lunch with me and Dean tomorrow?” A sweet smile formed on her face.

“Uh… no thank you.” Castiel’s voice shaked a little.

“Come on! It’ll be fun, I promise.”

They then had the same exchange back and forth for another five times, before Charlie finally gave up and told him that she’ll see him soon, and left.

 _Doubt it._ Castiel secretly thought as he continued packing. Geez, Charlie is just like Dean, persistent. He guessed that’s why they were friends.

Castiel only had two classes that day, so he headed home. Walking to the school gate, he passed by groups of people who were laughing and talking, and Castiel sped up. _Good for them._ Good for them, for having people accept them for who they are, and not have strangers avoid them like the plague, even though they don’t know anything about them. Good for them.

Upon opening the door, he saw Naomi sitting down on the dining table, reading a book. Castiel removed his shoes and placed his bag on the floor beside the sofa, and sat down across Naomi. They were silent for a while.

“I got bullied today.”

Naomi flinched, but she didn’t look up from her book. Castiel felt upset that he had to do this to elicit a response from her.

“A guy helped me. And he and his friend tried to befriend me.” He quickly added to not let her worry.

Naomi’s shoulders visibly relaxed, and she let out a subtle breath of relief. She finally puts her book down and smiled at Castiel.

“I’ll call you when dinner is ready.” She picked up the book again.

Castiel sat there for a few seconds, looking at his mother. She had some strands of gray hair, and she had little wrinkles around her eyes. She had aged so much over the years, and she was still so young. A beautiful 40 year old woman, tied down to her responsibilities for a peculiar child, and still suffering in her inner turmoil. She couldn’t even bring up a little bit of concern for him. Castiel took in every detail of his mother, his loving mother, before getting up and heading to his room. As he turned the door knob, he caught a small whisper.

“I’m sorry.”

Castiel shook his head, hoping that Naomi noticed, and entered his room, closing the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Sorry for the long wait, and sorry if this chapter kinda sucked. School started and my writing skills aren't getting any better. 
> 
> Please comment any criticisms if you have any! I really want to write a good story with this one, I really like it (and I cannot wait to get to the middle part where everything is nice... or is it)!
> 
> It is also 1AM in the morning so pardon any errors made.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, Castiel went through two “peaceful” classes of being avoided by people. After an hour of silence and lunch, he got ready to attend his next class.

The second he stepped into the classroom, he had a whiff of a familiar smell, of wet grass and leather. He turned his head to meet a pair of green eyes, and a huge grin. Dean was looking at him with what looked like… anticipation? He seemed to have been waiting to see him for a while… Castiel could almost see Dean’s tail wagging, if he had one.

Reluctant to sit beside Dean, he looked around the classroom to see a lot of eyes looking at him. Most of the seats were taken, and those that were empty had someone else sitting beside it. Castiel was kind, he’s not going to approach a random someone, especially after knowing that they wouldn’t be pleased with him around too. He’s not going to torture someone  _ or  _ himself today. He looked back at Dean, who was now reaching his arm out to tap the table next to him, an obvious message to Castiel. Castiel sighed. If Dean wants to suffer, so be it. He swiftly put his bag on the table and sat down, before realising that he’s against the wall. He has nowhere to run. His brain immediately thought back to the day before, and his heart started beating.

“Whoa! Hey! I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” 

Castiel looked to his right and saw Dean with a concerned look. Everyone else was looking at him, though the stares had no warmth behind them. He realised that his panicking had caused his scent to change, making it worse, and he was clenching his fists. He quickly tried to calm himself down, imagining cats in his mind. Slowly he started to relax, and Dean’s tense look softened too.

“Sorry, it’s just… Yesterday.”

“It’s alright, I understand. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Castiel gave him a small smile, but still leaned himself against the wall. He’s starting to worry that he’ll develop a phobia for Alphas. Thank god there was a gap between Dean’s table and his right now, or else who knows? He could be hyperventilating on the floor.

“Sorry about yesterday too.” 

Dean looked up at Castiel, and tilted his head. He raised an eyebrow, and Castiel realised that he was confused.

“I was a little rude. I ran away and didn’t even properly thank you.” Castiel didn’t dare look into Dean’s eyes, so he looked down at his empty table.

“No worries, you were scared, I understand. Also you gave me a proper enough thanks, so we’re cool.” Dean grinned brightly, giving him a thumbs up. Castiel can see why he and Charlie are friends. They are so similar. Castiel returned his attention back to preparing for the class as the teacher walked in, having no intentions to further interact with Dean. Well, not until a folded piece of paper landed on his table.  _ Not again, _ he thought. Forget them being similar, they are practically the same. Castiel rolled his eyes, and picked up the paper. He unfolded it to reveal a nice little message written in black ink -  _ “How about that invitation yesterday huh ;)” _ . 

Castiel looked up towards the whiteboard, where the young Miss Milton was trying to teach. Castiel could catch her little nervous shaking whenever she stopped talking. Dean was whispering “hey” and unrelenting in his attempts to engage in a conversation. Miss Milton was flicking her eyes at Dean occasionally, not knowing whether she should call him out or not.  _ Poor Miss Milton.  _ Castiel shook his head, and another piece of paper landed in front of his eyes. Before he could reach out for it, a nervous voice called out from the front.

“Dean, can you please pay attention to class?” Miss Milton tried her best to look stern, but her pretty facial features only served to make her look cute. Some boys in class gave the young Beta heart-eyes, and upon noticing this, she quickly blushed and turned back to the whiteboard. 

Castiel turned his head to see Dean red as well, his head looking down. Castiel picked up the piece of paper and unfolded it.

_ “You feeling okay? If there’s anything I can do to help, tell me.” _

Castiel’s heart warmed a little. He tilted his head slightly to look at Dean, who stopped trying to talk to him. Castiel is appreciative of Dean’s concern for him. Maybe it’s time to try and trust again. 

Class ended, and Dean gave Castiel a quick smile before leaving. It seemed like he didn’t want to cross Castiel’s boundaries. Castiel was left in the classroom, feeling a little disappointed, before he caught himself. There’s nothing to be disappointed about. He headed off to the same spot he had claimed the first day for break time. As he ascended up the stairs, he could hear laughter echoing through. He peeked out a little to see a group of six sitting down at his spot, chatting away. Damn it, his spot’s been taken. Castiel stood there for a second, wondering about what to do. In the end, he decided that he’d have to find a new spot. He looked back once more at the perfect corner, and sighed. What a waste.

\---

"And we became friends! Or I think we did.” Charlie beamed. Dean listened as she shared her encounter with Castiel, and all he could think of was  _ unfair _ .  _ He _ met Castiel first, so why did Charlie get to be chummy with Castiel before he did? He started complaining about how hard it is for him to even get Castiel to talk, and Charlie gave him a proud smirk, which Dean rolled his eyes to.

“He’s so cute! And his pretty eyes, and his nice drawings! Geez, I wonder why people can’t just look past his… condition.” Charlie frowned a little. It was obvious that she’s taken a liking to Castiel. 

Dean patted Charlie’s head to console her. She may not know it, but he caught her scent, however faint, change slightly. She was upset. 

Charlie looked up at Dean and smiled. “You’re nice too, you know. He’ll come around.”

Dean reciprocated the smile. He was about to change the topic when he noticed Charlie’s eyes following something in the distance. He looked to the same direction and saw a boy in a familiar beige trench coat brisk walking through the plaza. Charlie perked up and shouted for Castiel. The boy stopped in his tracks and looked around to see who called. When his blue eyes fell on Charlie, then on Dean, he had a look of hesitation. Charlie, of course, paid no heed, and aggressively beckoned for him to come over. Dean gave him a small nod. Castiel managed to walk forward four steps before suddenly deciding against it, and rushed off again, leaving Charlie in another bout of disappointment. Seeing Charlie pout, he patted her head again.

“Told you it isn’t easy.”

Charlie looked back at Dean and a gleam of mischief reflected in her eyes. Dean knew that she was plotting something. Charlie turned back to look at where Castiel stood before.

“I have my ways,” she said. Dean tried to pester Charlie about what she meant, but she remained secretive the whole time. At the end of the break, Dean still did not get any information from Charlie, only a parting wink when they separated for class. He guessed that he will only find out when Charlie wants him to.

It’s already the second day of the week, and the official timetable will be out next week. Which meant three more days to get acquainted with Castiel before he gets even lesser time. Dean doesn’t really know why he’s so fixated on the Omega, but he always trusted his instincts, and his instincts tell him that he  _ must  _ be friends with Castiel.

Dean sighed as he walked to his class, secretly hoping that his inner Alpha had better be on to something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late updates. This chapter is a little short, but I have a longer chapter coming up soon. It'll probably be up in a few hours to a day because I haven't proofread it yet, but yay me I wrote two chapters in one day.
> 
> It's the time of school semester where assignment deadlines are starting to cluster together, so I'll probably have lesser time to write. Also I have been waiting for news on my internship and when that starts I'll have even lesser time, so I hope to at least update this story faster, but probably wouldn't happen.
> 
> Also, I have another story idea that I wanted to write, but have been debating about whether I should start because then I'd have to write two stories. I don't know, we'll see.


	7. Chapter 7

Saturday came by quicker than Castiel expected, especially with two people constantly coming over to ask him to hang out everyday for the past three days. Castiel had expected the first week of school to be hectic, but he had a different version of the week in mind. Well, the part about being avoided and bullied was accurate, but the green-eyed Alpha and red-haired Beta was not part of the equation. Sure, he had responded to them sometimes when they went on their talks, but there wasn’t really any actual bonding involved. After the revelation about trusting that happened on Tuesday, he thought he could accept the non-stop invitations that came the entire week. But every time he wanted to take a step forward, he would get scared and chicken out at the last minute. _What a coward_ , he scoffed at himself.

Castiel opened his laptop and went on Youtube to look for cat videos. _No point in regretting it now._ He hoped the cats will wash these feelings away. Halfway through the second video his phone rang, interrupting him from his happy place. He stared at the glaring screen, presenting a string of unknown numbers. To be honest, he doesn’t even know why he owned a phone. The only contact saved in it was Naomi, and she hardly called anyway. Her job required her to work irregular hours, and she wasn’t allowed to use her phone during her shifts. And she knew better than to interrupt Castiel during school hours for no reason. Other than that, Castiel never made any friends, so he didn’t need to message or call anyone for a little chat or to catch up on life. There’s just nobody. At first, Castiel dismissed it as some company calling to advertise some product of theirs, but when the number appeared on his phone screen again, he wasn’t so sure. Hesitating for a few seconds, he decided to pick up.

“Hey Cas!” A female voice squealed through the speaker. Castiel immediately hung up. A few seconds later, the number called again.

“Why’d you hang up on me?” the female said, a tinge of upset in her tone. Castiel noted the familiarity of it, and a suspect came to mind.

“Charlie?”

“Bingo!”

Of course. Who else did he know that had such energy? But wait. How did she know his number?

“How did you get my number? I don’t recall ever giving it to you.”

“I… uh… mighthavetookyourphoneandsaveditwhileyouwereoutinthetoiletonMonday?”

“What?” Castiel asked, not understanding a single word.

“I took your phone and saved your number on Monday.” Charlie repeated, a little softer this time.

“Charlie! That’s an invasion of privacy! You can’t just-”

“I know, I know! But I suspected that you probably won’t talk to me either way… I had to have some tricks up my sleeve!”

Castiel could practically see Charlie pouting. He sighed. “Alright. You meant no harm. So what do you want?”

Charlie screamed, making Castiel jerk away from his phone before bringing it back to his ear. “Sorry! I wanted to ask if you’d like to join me for a movie!”

“Charlie, what makes you think that I would accept your invitation to go out when I wouldn’t even go have lunch with you?”

“Ouch Cas, hurtful. Well, I’d say because you would probably spend the entirety of this beautiful day studying. Like you’re doing right now.”

Castiel’s eyes quickly glanced at the open textbook on his desk for a second. “I’m not doing work right now.”

“Then you’re probably being basic and watching cat videos or something.”

“How did you- that’s- that’s none of your business.”

“All I’m saying is that you’ve probably spent your entire life doing nothing.” Castiel wanted to protest, but Charlie continued before he could. “So I humbly invite you as a gesture of kindness to bring you out of your gloomy room and watch a nice comedy movie with me on this fine day!”

Castiel pondered for a moment, a little unwilling to let Charlie be right, but gave in in the end. He decided that this was the push that he needed all week.

“Fine.”

\---

Castiel changed into the nicest clothes he can find, grabbed his trenchcoat that was a little too big for him, and placed his wallet and phone into a sling bag. He popped a heat suppressant into his mouth and stepped out of his room. Naomi heard the door click, and turned around to greet Castiel, but stopped when she saw her son nicely dressed.

“You’re… heading out?” Naomi smiled, although a little concern was seeping out.

Castiel nodded, and kissed her cheek.

“I’ll be back for dinner. Don’t worry about me.” Castiel said, grabbing his keys and leaving the house.

Charlie stood outside the movie theatre, grinning widely, as an annoying elbow kept nudging her from the side. Finally snapping, she clicked her tongue and shrugged her entire body, shooting a glare at the taller boy next to her.

“Who are we waiting for?” Dean asked. They’d been standing here for ten minutes, having bought three tickets. The drinks were diluting from the melting ice, and Dean’s hands were hurting from the cold drinks.

“I said you’ll see. Now wait.” Charlie ordered, and Dean quieted down like an obedient puppy.

After a few more minutes of waiting and perspiring, the crowd gave way to a familiar figure with a trenchcoat. Or rather, the crowd was avoiding him. The boy was moving in a mix of running and walking, keeping his head low and his hands in his pockets, trying to make himself small. He looked up to see Charlie waving at him, and he perked up a little, until he saw Dean. He slowed down a little but quickly picked up the pace again. Dean nudged Charlie with his elbow once more, and Charlie shrugged him off.

“How-”

“Told you I have my ways.” She smirked at Dean, beaming with pride. Dean’s hands were full, but if they weren’t, he’d be shooting her a thousand thumbs ups by now.

Castiel hurried over and greeted Charlie. He timidly looked up at Dean, and Dean didn’t really know what to do. He tried to shake Castiel’s hand, but had forgotten that he had the popcorn and drinks, and almost dropped them. Charlie caught him in time and slapped him on the arm, returning to a shocked expression on Castiel. She laughed, and told him not to worry about it. But Castiel was still appalled. Even though their kind are taking on more human characteristics over the years, Alphas are still considered leaders, and most lower than them wouldn’t engage in any type of dangerous acts, not even as a joke. Seeing how Dean was pouting at Charlie like a poor puppy who had been scolded for being bad, Castiel felt a little bit of fear rising in him. If a Beta like her can control a big Alpha at will, what else could she do…

The three stood awkwardly outside the theatre for a while, before Charlie broke the silence. She slung her arm around Castiel’s neck and walked to the ticket counter, pulling Castiel along. The man took the tickets and ripped a side of it before returning it to them. As they started walking, the man stopped them.

“Sorry,” he glanced at Castiel, “but may I request for you to sit at the very back of the theatre?”

“What, why?!” Charlie protested.

“Ma’am, we would rather not have your friend’s smell ruin the experience of other customers in the theatre. It may not help much, but at least he will be away from the others.”

Charlie immediately became agitated, furrowing her eyebrows and clenching her teeth, and ready to snap at the man. Castiel pulled her back before she could, and gave the man a nod. The man thanked him for his understanding as Castiel dragged the irate Charlie away. In the theatre, Dean passed Castiel his share of drinks and popcorn, and walked away with Charlie. Both gave him a sympathetic look, Charlie with more disappointment. Castiel gave them a small smile, and gestured for them to go sit down. The lights dimmed and the intro began. Castiel sat in his little corner and stared at the screen, not realising a pair of green eyes looking back at him.

\---

“That was amazing! They don’t make movies this good nowadays, damn it!” Charlie exclaimed as they walked out of the theatre.

“Ugh, all the nerdy references they had in it though.” Dean rolled his eyes softly.

“You loved those, Dean.” Charlie poked him with her elbow. They were walking down the street, with Castiel following behind them. _It was a nice movie_ , Castiel thought. It had been a while since he’d seen any movies at all.

Charlie abruptly stopped and turned back to Castiel, slinging her arm over his neck again, and pulled him over so he was walking in between her and Dean.

“So how was the movie, Cas?”

“It was… nice.” Castiel replied, a little uncomfortable with being sandwiched.

“Great!” Charlie exclaimed with delight. “Let’s go eat something, I’m starving.”

“I told my mom I have to be back by dinner…” Castiel softly said.

“It’s only 2pm, Cas. You don’t eat dinner that early.” Dean refuted.

Castiel looked up at Dean for a second, then at Charlie. The whole point of this outing was for him to step out from his comfort zone. Castiel walked with them in silence for a bit, as they waited eagerly for an answer.

“Sure.” He finally said.

They traveled a little longer, discussing about the movie, until they came to a stop at a cafe. A bell rang as they opened the door, and a waiter came over to serve them. The second Castiel entered, everyone in the cafe gave him a strange look. Upon realizing the cause of the sudden stench in the cafe, some patrons immediately shouted for them to leave. The waiter, who seemed to be around the same age as them, started to panic. The mix of anger and different Alpha, Beta and Omega smells stung Dean and Castiel’s nose. Charlie looked ready to lunge at anyone’s throat.

“Let’s leave.” Castiel whispered, tugging at Charlie’s sleeve.

“No! We are just as entitled as they are to dine here!” She said loudly. Castiel shrunk himself down again, and felt someone pat his shoulder. Dean gave him a small smile, and mouthed to him “It’ll be okay.” Castiel’s tense shoulders relaxed a little, as he waited to see how the situation will unfold. The waiter wanted to beg Charlie to leave, but Charlie gave him a glare, scaring the poor boy, and he immediately shut his mouth again.

“Let’s sit outside.” Dean said.

The waiter looked up at him with gratitude, and quickly led them outside. As they made their way through the tables, everyone was staring at Castiel, and Dean pulled him a little closer. Castiel relaxed a little as he took in the Alpha’s smell. The waiter showed them to an empty table. There weren’t many people outside, due to the sweltering heat.

“I’m sorry for causing trouble.” Castiel said when they sat down.

“Don’t worry about it Cas. _They_ should be the ones who are sorry for judging people like that.” She turned her head to the inside of the cafe.

“Yeah Cas, it’s not your fault.” Dean added.

Castiel smiled, but he wasn’t convinced. Dean quickly changed the subject and asked for their orders, before calling the waiter and placing it. The trio sat in awkward silence again as they waited for their food. This gave Castiel a good opportunity to observe the two sitting in front of him. First he took a good look at Dean, who was staring at the road. He noticed that Dean was taking pretty shallow breaths, his mouth slightly open. Castiel thought Dean had nice lips, before blushing and looking away. He quickly turned his attention to Charlie, who was checking her phone. Unlike Dean, she was breathing normally. Castiel remembered how puzzled he was when Charlie didn’t have a reaction to his smell when they first met. Dean obviously knew, and he was trying to ignore the smell, what with the shallow breaths and staring into space. Castiel was hesitant to ask, but after an internal battle for about two minutes, he finally mustered up the courage.

“Charlie, why aren’t you affected by my smell?”

Charlie looked up from her phone looking surprised and turned to face Dean, whose attention had also been caught. They both looked at each other for a while, like they were communicating through their eyes, as Castiel sat there nervous. Had he said something wrong? Charlie quickly turned back to Castiel after a while.

“I didn’t tell you?”

Castiel tilted his head in confusion. “Tell me what?”

“Oh. My. God. I didn’t tell you!” She facepalmed herself, making Castiel even more confused. He squinted his eyes, waiting for an answer. Dean secretly looked at Castiel, smiling softly, unbeknownst to them both.

“Sorry Cas, I’m such an idiot. Truth is, I can’t smell anything.”

Castiel straightened his head and nodded. No wonder she wasn’t affected.

“I got into a car accident when I was 12, coming home from a slumber party. It was a horrible party, ugh.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, my parents picked me up and while driving, this car came out of nowhere and we crashed. No one died, fortunately, but I hit my head and my… brain thing that let me smell-”

“-olfactory bulb,” Dean interrupted.

“Olfactory bulb - _thank you Dean_ \- was damaged. So I can’t smell anything anymore.”

“But isn’t it hard to live without smelling emotions?” Castiel blurted out before he could stop himself.

“Well, yeah. At first. But I’ve gotten better at observing people’s body language and facial expressions I guess. I’d say I’m 97% correct about people’s emotions I guess the only thing I miss is smelling food, and also I can’t taste as much.” Charlie grinned.

Castiel’s eyes gleamed with newfound respect for Charlie. She managed to live with a disability that was crucial to their kind. And she’s always so cheerful too. Castiel was kind of glad that he agreed to come hang out with them. With a conversation started, the three started talking, changing from one topic to the other. Their food arrived, and Charlie clapped her hands together and sarcastically said “Mm, smells good”, earning her giggles from both boys. They talked and laughed, and tried each other’s food. Castiel had a great time. He had never laughed so hard, nor shared food with others. He was actually surprised that he could be so open with them so quickly. Lunch was spent in laughter and joy, with Dean occasionally excusing himself to go to the bathroom, but Castiel knows that it was because of his smell, due to the frequency of the visits. Unless he was doing something else in the toilet.

After spending two hours talking and eating, they finally finished and left the cafe. Charlie invited Castiel over to her house because she and Dean were going to play some video games, but Castiel refused.

“It’s getting late.” Castiel said.

They parted ways, with Charlie pouting and asking over and over again whether he was _sure_ that he didn’t want to join them. In the end, Castiel waved them goodbye as Dean dragged Charlie away. Before Castiel left, Charlie quickly escaped from Dean’s grip and shouted.

“See you Monday?”

Castiel let out a small chuckle and gave her a thumbs up, raising his arm high so she could see.

Returning home, he was greeted by a delicious smell, but due to him just having food, it wasn’t as appealing. He greeted Naomi as he passed by the kitchen. Naomi was focused on her cooking, and only acknowledged him when he was entering his room. Castiel felt that Naomi seemed strange, like she was lost in thought, but Naomi smiled and told him that she’d call when dinner is ready. Castiel felt that he had lost the opportunity to ask her about it, so he nodded and went into his room. The adrenaline from the day was still rushing through his entire body, and although there were some unpleasant moments, the entire day was well-spent. Castiel laid down on his bed, fatigue taking over him, and drifted off to sleep as he smiled at the memories made with his new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter would probably be shorter, from the POV of Naomi ^^


	8. Chapter 8

The second the door clicked shut, Naomi was perspiring all over. This was the first time, in a very long time, that Castiel was heading out with “friends”. She had heard his conversation with someone on the phone, and his agreement to “go out”. Her son had been raising his voice a little, saying things about privacy and rejecting lunch, which only served to worry Naomi more. A distant memory of the past resurfaced after many years.

The last time Castiel went out  with “friends ”, he came home battered and bruised, shivering and drenched. The whole house stunk up immediately. There were tears, but his face was expressionless. He stood  at the doorway , not moving an inch. Naomi had to guide him back to his room, help him change and put him  in bed .  Until now , she still wasn’t sure if Castiel remembered what happened that night. He never mentioned it again.

With such an experience , it was no wonder why Naomi immediately dropped everything she was doing and rushed out the house.

She trailed Castiel closely, but distant enough so he wouldn’t suspect anything. She watched as everyone avoided her son, some aggressive ones even spat at him. He was unfazed, and kept walking. Naomi’s heart clenched, now knowing how her son had become accustomed to such treatment outdoors. She was never there to protect him. The young boy continued on for about ten minutes, almost losing Naomi a few times in the weekend crowd. Castiel’s head that was hung low throughout the journey suddenly raised, and he quickened his pace. Naomi glanced towards the direction he was heading and saw a red-haired girl waving aggressively, with a taller man beside her. Realising she had stopped and was losing Castiel, she hastily pushed through the crowd until she could see the beige trenchcoat again. She hid in an alley, peeking out from the corner as Castiel approached the two. She couldn’t pinpoint what the red-haired girl was, though she could confirm that she was not an Alpha. The man beside her, however, there’s no mistaking it. She watched as the girl slapped the Alpha on his arm. 

Naomi almost lunged forward to grab Castiel, worrying that the Alpha would lose control after the violence. Instead, she witnessed the Alpha slump and pout at the smaller girl. If she could see Castiel’s expression, she would be surprised at how alike they were now. She watched on from her corner as the three exchanged a few words, and headed into the theatre together (although her heart almost exploded from the red-haired girl putting her arm around Castiel’s neck, she is certified danger). 

Standing in the hot sun for an hour and a half, pacing around in the same alley as she thought of various, imaginative ways the two strangers were treating her poor son, she finally breathed a sigh of relief when the group emerged from the entrance of the theatre. Castiel was lagging behind while the other two chatted amiably, but he didn’t seem hurt physically. That’s good. Naomi retreated a little further back into the alley, just enough for the trio to pass and not see her. By the time she looked out again, Castiel was being sandwiched between the two strangers. Naomi started tailing them again, stopping for a bit to contemplate what she was doing, _stalking her son_ , but the thought was completely washed off when they entered a cafe. Nearing the doorway, she heard boos and shouts from the customers within. Oh, how she would love to just snap their necks in one swift move. As she got ready to charge into the store, the group went to sit outside. Calming herself down, she entered the cafe, and sat at the table near the window, glaring at the customers. She observed the three as they sat down at a table outside, and started talking, not missing any detail. Like how her son’s body slowly loosened, and the tension in the air before was replaced with laughter. Like how the Alpha excused himself several times, coming into the cafe and standing outside the restroom for a few minutes, taking a few deep breaths, before returning to the table. She understood what the Alpha was doing, and she cannot feel more grateful to him. These two people have done more for Castiel in a few hours than what she has given him in 17 years. Naomi can’t remember the last time Castiel laughed so heartily. 

She reflected back on all those years she treated Castiel coldly. It wasn’t what she wanted, she always told herself. Every time she wanted to show love for him, the woman in the black dress appears in her mind. Her hands would remember the cold touch of the man she loved. The room would be filled with the sound of her son’s crying, and the curse repeating itself over and over again.

It drove her crazy. 

She remembered the time Castiel sat down across her and told her that he was being bullied in school. She knew his intentions, but she didn’t dare look up. She couldn’t look up. She was afraid of looking into his eyes, and see the same blue eyes that had accompanied her in her teen years. The same eyes that waited for her while she walked down the aisle. The same eyes that looked at her soulfully, like it was trying to grab hold of her, before the life was sucked out of them the next second.

Was she punishing herself? For being the cause of the tragedy, for robbing her son of a normal life? Or was she punishing Castiel, because she has no one else to blame? 

She regained her focus and stared at her son. Castiel was laughing hard, shaking his entire body. His nose was scrunched up. _Just_ _like him_ _,_ Naomi thought. She smiled as fond memories of a certain man came to mind. 

A young waiter had been pacing around her table for a while now, and Naomi looked to him with gentle eyes. Startled, the young waiter froze for a second before shyly approaching her.

“S-sorry  for interrupting , Miss, but can I g-get your order?” His voice was shaky, and he was very cautious. 

Naomi smiled. “No thank you. I should head home soon. It’s almost time  for dinner .” She turned her head to look  at Castiel one last time ,  before standing up. The young waiter looked out the window too.

“Are you okay, Miss?”

“Yes.” Naomi smiled, and left the cafe.

\---

She was still deep in thought about her son when she heard a doorknob turn behind her. She turned around to see Castiel looking at her with curiosity in his eyes. She smiled and greeted him, and told him that she will call him when dinner is ready. Castiel nodded, and walked into his room, confused.

She took a deep breath, returning  to her cooking .

\---

The next day, Naomi stood  outside the door , her hands firmly grabbing the doorknob. Hesitation filled her mind,  as her heart pounded loudly. She readied herself, and knocked  on the door . Four times. And she entered the room.

Her nose caught a whiff  of a foul smell , one she was already used to long ago. Her eyes watered, and she couldn’t tell whether it was the smell or something more painful. 

Castiel’s room was considered very neat  for a teenager’s bedroom , save  for a few opened books and scattered paper  on the desk . She capped the pen that laid  on the abandoned sheets , hoping that it was still functional. She slowly scanned the room to observe the unfamiliar objects  in her son’s room . She hadn’t entered his room  in a long time . Her excuse was to give him privacy, but they both knew that she was just running away.

She trailed her fingers  across the bookshelf . When did Castiel buy all these books? She looked up to see little cat figurines  on the top shelf , and some bee plushies. She never knew what her son’s interests were. She never bothered to ask.

A sketchbook was left on the bedside table. Naomi flipped open to pages to see beautiful black and white sketches of nature, and was in awe at her son’s talent. She was enraptured in the beauty of the artworks until she flipped to a drawing of a familiar back view. The next five pages were the same back view, just different clothes each time. 

Naomi closed the book and set it down again, unable to continue on.

Her eyes finally fell on the blue blanket on the bed, the lump underneath it breathing rhythmically.

She sat down by the bed, and stroked Castiel’s hair. Naomi took in the sight of her son peacefully sleeping, hoping it would cleanse the thoughts of watching her son be abused outside. 

“Am I doing a good job, dear?” She whispered. A soft weep floated through the room, its volume careful to not wake the sleeping boy. 

“What kind of father would you have been?”

Castiel turned over to face Naomi, his consciousness still in Dreamland. Naomi continued stroking his hair. She noticed how big he had gotten, how the boy she remembered that was half the size of the bed now fit perfectly in it. How time flies. And how much time had Naomi lost. 

17 years. She let Castiel suffer for 17 years. She let herself suffer for 17 years.

“I can’t promise you anything. But I’ll try to be better.” She moved her hand to stroke Castiel’s face. She has to learn to accept Castiel. To accept herself.

_ Give me courage _ , she prayed, to that man she would never see again.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't English


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here are the two chapters that I've been holding on to for months! By the way I replaced chapter 8 (the update chapter) with the actual story so if you jumped here and missed it you should probably go back :D
> 
> Sorry if the story is going a little slow, I'm trying to work with the pacing! Also I can't write

Castiel bursted out laughing at another one of Dean’s jokes. He hasn’t enjoyed himself so much in a very long time. In fact, he can’t really be sure if he ever felt enjoyment before. The conversation continued smoothly, until Dean’s voice started to fade. Castiel tried to get him to repeat his sentences, but he just couldn’t hear anything. Suddenly, his body started to ache. Castiel grabbed his chest and panted heavily, the sharp pains reminding him of his first heat. He fell to the ground, writhing. He tried to scream but the world was silent. Just like his first heat, he succumbed to the torture and closed his eyes, waiting for it to pass.

When Castiel woke up again, he was lying on a desk in a classroom. 

_ This place…  _

He grabbed his bag and left the classroom. The hallway was covered with a black fog, limiting visibility. Castiel walked down the hallway as students emerge from the fog and teased him or avoided him. A boy stretched out his leg and tripped Castiel. On the verge of crying, he bit his lips and got back up, his vision even more blurry than before. He raised his arm to wipe away his tears, and when he was done a young girl stood in front of him. She smiled brightly and asked if he was okay. Castiel nodded cautiously.

“Come on, I’ll show you my friends!” The girl said as she skipped away, occasionally looking back to see if Castiel was following. He was, of course, but he didn’t know why. 

“I’m Hannah, and this is Zach and Uriel!” Two boys that was slightly larger than Castiel appeared before him after his desperate attempt to keep up with Hannah and not lose her to the fog. Castiel nodded politely while trying to level his breathing. Hannah laughed.

“We want to be your friends.”

Such familiar words. Castiel had heard them before. That’s right. He remembered. Hannah. His first friend after he had his heat. The first person to befriend him after being bullied for months. And Zachariah and Uriel. They were his friends.

The scene cut to Castiel spending time with his new friends. They laughed at his jokes. They shared some back. They didn’t run from him. Castiel blinked. He’s now in a forest, still surrounded by black fog. He looked down at his hands, a letter in his grasp.

_ Meet me in the forest. _

Five words on the crumpled paper. He growed anxious. The sky was dark. Castiel started walking down a path, he’s not sure why, but he knew the path would lead him to his destination. He reached a clearing in the forest and looked around. No one in sight. Suddenly, he heard leaves crunching, as Hannah appeared from the fog. 

“Hannah! What happened? Are you okay?” Castiel waved the paper clutched in his hand. He couldn’t quite see her face, it was too dark. A force from behind pushed him to the ground, and he quickly turned to see two familiar boys smiling maliciously. Castiel’s scared. Tears welled up in his eyes. He tried to crawl away from the boys, but his back hit something. He looked up to see Hannah with the same smile. What had happened to his friends?

Uriel pulled out a bucket and splashed the contents all over Castiel’s body. It was ice cold. Uriel threw the empty bucket at Castiel, like a final insult to him. Zach kicked Castiel in the stomach, and Hannah grabbed him by the hair. Castiel unsuccessfully tried to struggle away from her grip, only leading him to more pain. 

“Do you know why this is happening to you, Castiel?” The sweet voice that he once loved seemed to pierce his heart with every word.

“We just wanted to see what the “Rotten Omega” was like!” Zach laughed.

“You seriously disappointed us, Castiel.” Uriel chimed in.

“You’re so fucking boring. Everytime I had to laugh at your “jokes”, honestly, I just wanted to die.” The three kids roared with laughter. “Nobody likes you, pig. You’re better off dead. Do you know how hard it is for me to not hurl every time I’m around you?” Hannah gently placed her hand on Castiel’s cheek, before drawing it back and slapping him viciously.

Castiel couldn’t hold back his tears anymore and they trickled down his face. Seeing this, the trio looked at him with disdain. Zach started chanting “Crybaby!” and the other two quickly followed. They dragged Castiel across the ground for a little while more, shouting and laughing in his face. Castiel softly questioned their behaviour, and Hannah stopped. She squatted down to meet his eyes.

“We’re just taking out the trash for the sake of the town.” 

His three friends continued to torment him as the black fog started to engulf them. 

His “friends”...

\---

Not two seconds after he stepped  into the classroom , Castiel was attacked  by a force that propelled him forward, almost making him lose his balance. Catching his breath and calming himself down  after the sudden attack , he turned around to find a familiar red-haired girl and a smiling Alpha  behind her . Castiel smiled back  at them, unconsciously backing away .

“Good morning!” Charlie exclaimed. Her hands were still  on Castiel’s shoulders . 

“Are you okay?” Dean stepped forward, worry written on his face. Of course he wasn’t. Castiel woke up in cold sweat that morning because of the dream, no, nightmare, he saw. The suppressed memory must have been triggered after he tried to genuinely accept Dean and Charlie. The fear of betrayal haunted him once again, blinding him to the kindness the two had shown him a few days back.

Castiel must have taken too long to answer, as even Charlie was starting to get worried.  

They were cut short  by Alistair and his goons pushing Charlie and Castiel aside.

“Get  out of the way , losers.”

Dean growled, and Charlie sent Alistair an air punch, grabbing on to Dean’s sleeve for balance. Castiel bumped into the door, and Charlie pulled him over to check if he was alright. 

“Dickhead.” Charlie spat her tongue out.

Alistair heard and let off an angry vibe.  Of course , Charlie couldn’t smell it, but Castiel wasn’t so lucky. 

The atmosphere soon became heavy, and some students had to excuse themselves. Worried that the situation might escalate, Castiel quickly bade Charlie farewell and dragged Dean  into class , ignoring Alistair’s icy glare. Charlie felt unjust, but she understood Castiel’s intentions, so she could only pout and head  to class .

They reach their desk, and Dean quickly shifted his attention  from Alistair to Castiel holding his hand. He felt a little disappointment when Castiel let go, but the feeling came as quickly as it went, so he paid it no heed.

Castiel’s mind was overloaded with memories of Hannah, Zach, and Uriel. The painful memories came to an abrupt stop when he realised that class had already ended. He blinked a few times, reassuring himself that it was in the past, and returned to reality.

A hand lowered down onto his desk. Dean looked down at Castiel with a hesitant look. After a week of the same pattern, he could roughly guess what Dean wanted to ask.

“Can I join you  for lunch today?” Castiel asked. He had already made the effort to try and make friends. He will not let his past stop him again. Furthermore, he’s already 17. Surely he can protect himself if they ever try something funny.

Dean was caught  by surprise , but quickly regained his composure. The corners  of his mouth slid up, and he nodded a little too eagerly. 

“See you then.” Castiel waved, a warm feeling bursting  in his heart . He struggled to ignore the anxious feeling brewing in the back of his mind.

\---

Class dismissed, and Castiel sped off at the speed of light, only slowing down when he realised he didn’t know where to go.

Damn it, he forgot to ask. What a dumbass. His pace slowed as he wondered what to do. He didn’t know Dean’s schedule, he didn’t know where his class was, he didn’t even know what his course was. They were only in the same class for some subjects, but Castiel took Art and Dean didn’t seem to be the artistic kind. 

He felt a vibration  in his left pocket , and fished out the rectangular device. 

One message from Charlie. It was a picture of a big tree in a secluded part of school. There was a blur on the bottom right corner of the picture that resembled half a palm. Castiel guessed it was Dean.

A week  of exploring the school to find quiet spots paid off. He knew exactly where to go.

\---

It didn’t take long  for Castiel to find the meeting place. As he approached, he could make out two figures shoving each other. The red figure quickly noticed him and waved aggressively.

Dean looked up from his phone, disturbed by Charlie’s aggressive shaking. Soon, he noticed Castiel brisk walking over. He hastily tucked his phone into his pocket, and sat up a little straighter. Charlie gave him a dirty look, and Dean mouthed “what” to her.

The interaction did not go unnoticed by Castiel, and he couldn’t help but let his negative thoughts seep out. The trauma of “friends” still had a very obvious impact on him, by courtesy of Hannah and friends. He warily sat down opposite the pair, keeping a good distance. Dean and Charlie awkwardly laughed, and Charlie nudged Castiel to have lunch. They sat in silence for a good while, Castiel nibbling on his sandwich, and Dean and Charlie awkwardly exchanging looks. They knew something was up. Castiel had been receptive and open to them on Saturday, and suddenly he’s reverted back to his guarded self.

“Uh, Cas?” Charlie started. Castiel stopped nibbling and looked up, apprehensive.

“I don’t,” Charlie looked back at Dean, “we don’t know what exactly happened after that Saturday, but we can tell that you feel uncomfortable.”

Castiel puts down his sandwich.

“We just want to let you know that it’s okay to tell us if we’ve done something wrong or made you uncomfortable in any way.”

“We just want to be your friends, Cas.” Dean added. Castiel jumped slightly at the familiar words. He waited to see what the two would say next.

“It’s ultimately up to you, Cas, whatever you choose. If you want to cut us out of your life, sure. We respect your decision. But we’re also trying here.” Dean continued. 

“And that’s why… If you need time, just tell us. If you need help, just tell us. That’s what friends are for, right?” Charlie smiled softly.

“I’m sorry.” Castiel spoke up after a bit. He wrapped his sandwich back up and returned it into his bag. He stood up and apologized again, before leaving. Dean and Charlie looked at each other worriedly, but they knew that they had to respect Castiel’s decision. 

\---

“Ma.” That was all Castiel could say when he got home. Naomi sat him down and patted him on the shoulder. She scooped out some of the soup she was making, and placed it down in front of him. 

“Love yourself, Castiel. Do it for me.”

Castiel picked up the spoon, and started drinking the hot soup. He couldn’t tell if it was the steam that was making his eyes hurt and water.

He used the night to ponder over the past and what Dean and Charlie had said. Could he really trust them? How would they benefit by being his friend? He’s unordinary, he’s unbearable with the smell, he’s boring, he’s…

Boring. Smelly. That was what Hannah and the others had said to him. But Dean and Charlie never did.

_ They could be hiding those thoughts from you. They’re lying. _

That’s right. But what’s the point of lying? It’s just a waste of time…

Castiel grunted and smashed his face into his pillow. He didn’t want to think about anything anymore. It would be better if he was just alone. But that was what he wanted to break out of. When he accepted Charlie’s invitation to go to the movies, hadn’t he already made up his mind? Didn’t he admit to himself that he had a wonderful time with them? Why was he fighting it now? Castiel lets out a frustrated whine and returned his face to the pillow. He felt breathless as Hannah’s face appeared again. He had a feeling he was going to be up all night.

\---

It’s 1AM. Dean received another message from Charlie.

“ _ So what do you think? Cas really just gave up on us?” _

_ “Give it a rest. You’ve been at it for an hour. We said we would respect his decision.” _

_ “Yeah but I have all the rights to be upset!!!!!!! :(“ _

Dean rolled his eyes and started stringing words together, when a notification popped up above. He tapped it, and it brought him to a newly-created Whatsapp group.

_ “Hello.”  _ It was Castiel’s name. Dean almost jumped with joy, but soon calmed down when his curiosity took over. Not Charlie though. The group was suddenly flooded with 20 messages from Charlie in the span of 30 seconds. 

_ Yeah, and you wonder why he ran away from us,  _ Dean grumbled internally.

Dean conjured a simple “Hey Cas” and left his phone. Ten minutes later Charlie returned with her crying emojis yelling about Cas’ lack of reply. Dean quickly told Charlie “goodnight” and muted her. It’s late and he’s too tired to care.

As he laid down on his bed, ready to drift off, he smiled at the thought that Castiel had made a group chat. Charlie couldn’t see it, but he knew what it meant.

There’s still a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so sad. Alexa, give Cas happiness (oh wait no the emp-)


End file.
